Mike Scioscia says Angels’ focus is on the process

Mike Scioscia says he doesn’t look at the standings much during the regular season. Apparently he doesn’t look at the schedule much either.

When the Angels manager was asked about the upcoming stretch in which his team will play 16 of 19 games against postseason contenders, Scioscia said there was only one game he was thinking about.

“We’ve got a game Friday,” he said. “We’re going to put everything we can into winning that game Friday.”

That alone won’t get the Angels back into the playoff picture. But it would be a nice start, since Friday’s opener of a nine-game homestand is against the Texas Rangers, who lead the Angels by 3 1/2 games for the American League’s final wild-card berth.

The Angels will then play two division leaders — the Dodgers and Houston Astros — before going on the road for three games at Seattle before playing at Minnesota, another team they have to pass in the wild-card race, and at Houston.

“We’re still not going to look at anything but how we’re playing the game,” Scioscia said. “Every game you have a chance to gain ground. The only way to reach that goal is the process.

“That’s what we’ve been talking about. As we come out Friday, it’s about how we’re playing the game. That’s where our focus needs to be.”

The Angels have played pretty well in September, although the month has so far consisted of just two wins over the Oakland Athletics, the league’s worst team. Still, that’s an improvement after an August in which they lost 19 games, most in a single month in Scioscia’s 16 seasons as manager.

Many players credited the turnaround to the infusion of energy and talent the team received when five players, including starting third baseman David Freese, were reactivated from the disabled list when rosters expanded Sept. 1.

When Freese went out with a broken finger in July, the Angels were 14 games over .500 and in first place. But they won just 11 of the 37 games he missed.

“I take pride in being on the field when teams win,” said Freese, who had three hits and drove in two runs in his first two games back. “This game’s all about energy. If you look at the teams that are winning their divisions, they’ve had it for six months.

“The more times you bring positive energy and that fight … you’ve got a better chance of doing something good.”

The two wins in Oakland marked the first time since the All-Star break that the Angels have won consecutive games on the road, where their record is 28-39 this season. The Angels are 39-27 at home, but face three teams with winning records on this homestand.

“It’s pretty clear where some of the bumps in the road have been,” Scioscia said. “It’s very clear we can get this thing going in the right direction and play well.”

Up next

Right-hander Garrett Richards (12-10, 3.80 earned-run average) will open the Angels’ three-game series with the Rangers on Friday at 7 p.m. at Angel Stadium. He’ll be opposed by left-hander Martin Perez (2-3, 5.15). TV: FS West. Radio: 830, 1330.

kevin.baxter@latimes.com

Twitter: @kbaxter11